Donald Hirsch and I are old friends. We first met in 1981 as
volunteers at Simon House, the Oxford Cyrenians’ hostel for the homeless. The
next year Donald got me a clerical job with a charity in London – then I went
to Pakistan. He went on to become a journalist, and then an academic,
specializing in defining poverty in the UK. We met each other again perhaps fifteen
or so years later, completely by chance.
One evening, I went to play tennis at my local club, and
while changing ends during a match we were all politely introducing ourselves, when
I was rather surprised to hear: ‘I know who you are, you’re Tom Hawksley.’
It was Donald.
He was living in nearby Guildford and this was also his
club. So our friendship was renewed: drinks, chess, tennis – and bike rides.
Donald loves planning and maps. He has devised a brilliant virtually traffic
free bike route to Paris, which we have done together. See here if of interest:
https://www.donaldhirsch.com/dieppeparis.html
And Donald is the chief navigator for a bike pilgrimage from
the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Guildford, to the Cathedral of the Holy
Family in Barcelona which we’re doing in three stages. You can read my diary
about the first two legs here
https://sternfieldthoughts.blogspot.com/2024/07/a-pilgrimage-from-cathedral-of-holy.html
And here
https://sternfieldthoughts.blogspot.com/2025/05/pilgrimage-from-cathedral-of-holy.html
On our bike rides Donald and I have had many discussions. A
recent one was about his desk. It had quite a history which you can read about
below. Donald was explaining that he was going to have to sell or somehow
dispose of this desk.
That jarred.
The desk had come from Vienna to London, and on this desk
Donald’s grand-father, Hans, had kept the cause of socialism in Austria alive
in the problematic 1930s. Donald’s father, the famous economist Fred Hirsch,
inherited the desk, and on it wrote endless articles for the Economist, and
several books, including the influential, ‘Social Limits of Growth’. Donald’s
father sadly died when he was just 46. The desk stayed with Donald’s mother,
and then came to Donald. Like his father, many articles for the Economist were
written on this desk, and it was from this desk that Donald’s research shaped
thinking about poverty in the UK. It was this research that helped guide what
the living wage should be.
Now there was no room for the desk. Donald is no
sentimentalist. Reality must rule. And the reality was that space was needed
for the grand-children when they came to stay.
Correct.
But, can one let such a desk, with such a history, just go
to a stranger? Or worse, be hurled into the bowels of a council recycling
centre? It didn’t seem right. The ride ended with the tension of the doomed
desk in the air. I began to send texts with salvation ideas: offer the desk to
the Economist, to Christ Church (Donald’s college), to a Jewish museum. Short
replies underlined what I probably knew: these suggestions were off the radar.
And then wonderful news. Here’s the text from Donald:
You'll be delighted to learn that my grandfather's
nephew, a history professor at St Andrews, has said he'd love the desk, has
space and thinks it should be kept in the family!
This is where the desk is now. Safely near St Andrews with a
close relative of Hans. John Hudson will take the desk into a new chapter of
ideas, not about socialism or economics, but about Medieval Law.
One upshot of all our talking about this desk cycling the pretty
lanes of Surrey is that Donald has briefly written up its history. I found it
fascinating, I hope you do too.
It is here.
https://www.donaldhirsch.com/desk%20travels.pdf
And to read more about Hans, the first owner of the desk, click here
https://www.donaldhirsch.com/Hans%20bio.pdf
Tom Hawksley, October 2025
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